CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Guidance and counselling are two
closely interrelated concepts and each determines the availability and efficient
of the other. According to Makinde (1999) and Patternson (1997) the word
‘guidance’ refers to a broad area of educational activities and services
related to individual students inorder to understand them and adjust to school
life. The development of guidance and counselling originated from the United
State of America in 1900’s. A person named Godwin in 1911 orgarnised guidance
programme in USA that catered for students. The emphases was on vocation
information, awareness of the world of work, location of employment and
reduction in examination anxiety (Makionde, 1999). He noted that since 1950,
popular views of guidance and counselling have changed rapidly and that
understanding youth problems are among the functions of school guidance and
counselling. A random sampling of 100 consellors’ educational programme was
carried out in USA. The study found out that guidance and counselling
specifically influence academic performance of students.
Guidance and counselling are
inevitable academic tools needed for educational development, academic
building, moral booster and behavioural building and modification. Its roles
can not be underestimated in places like schools, colleges, hospitals, courts
and industries. Based on its importance in the society and different academic
fields, there is need to introduce counselling in every area of our wold
(Oladele, 2000).
As part of
guidance performance, counselling is a process where by the counsellor assist a
counsellee. This assistance may be educational, vocational, social or
emotional. In other words, guidance and counselling is an assistance given by a
guidance counsellor or career personnel to another person to identify his own
resources and its environmental opportunities to be able to have self
understanding and make decisions in order to be able to cope with the
developmental problems and aspirations in life (Olayinka and Omoregun, 2005).
The principal good of a counsellor
is to assist the counsellor to arrive at solutions, answers, plans and as well
as make decisions which will assist the counsellor to understand himself, and
find a satisfactory answers which are rewarding to his problems and assist him
(counsellor) to grow towards the person.
The idea of
guidance and counselling students in Nigeria could be regarded as an embodiment
of rapid development which has started in the late 1950’s before Nigeria
attained independence. Kolo (2007) is of the opinion that the British system
emphasis heavily on classroom teaching at the expense of child’s welfare and
personal development. The assumption then was that since the classroom teaching
covered all aspects of the child’s development, the remaining aspects will be
taken into consideration by parents and religious bodies.
Apparently, at
the grassroot. Education and vocational guidance was presumed to be unnecessary
in Nigeria system of education. This was because the selected for who went into
study various subjects were successful or considered very capable of self
direction academically while jobs were readily available in these days.
According to
Oladele (2000), the period 1970 to date witnessed a great expansion in the
development and training of guidance counsellors which has now become a
household in Nigeria society. In 1972 for example, the idea of school guidance
programme spread to other parts of Nigeria. During this period, efforts were
made by the various state ministries of education to introduce guidance and
counselling programmes in schools. Activities of the states regarding the
programme were uncoordinated and did not have much impact.
The role of counselling as a
predictor of academic excellence in secondary schools can not be
over-emphasised. According to Oladuntoye (2005), educational guidance is the
assistance given to students individually and through group techniques to
assist them function more effectively in their school programmes. In other
words, educational guidance and counselling refer to any assistance given to
students to enable him place a suitable educational programme. Equally, Oladele
(2002) observed that the primary objective of guidance and counselling services
in secondary schools is to facilitate a better adjustment and development of
students by providing them with information which include subjects to be taken,
school extra-curricular activities, improving study skills etc. guidance and counseling
services assist students to choose the right subjects that would lead them to
the careers of their interest as well as provide them with information about
schools, colleges and universities that offer these courses.
Secondary school students face various
challenges that if not well handled it will affect their academic achievement.
Therefore inorder to adequately address these challenges, emphases has to be
placed on existing programmes within schools. Guidance and counselling is one
of the programmes. Detailed studies are needed to evaluate the influence of
counselling services as a predictor of academic excellence. The study was based
on the premise that it is important to understand the extent to which
counselling programme is used in addressing the challenges of students in
school. This study will assist the counsellor to evaluate the impact that
counselling will have on academic excellence in their respectful schools. When
counselling programme is well conceptualised by the Ministry of Education and
implemented by the counsellor with the support of the school administrators,
the students will benefit by improving their academic achievement and self
actualiasation.
Against this
background, this study was carried out to examine ‘Counselling Services As A
Predictor of Academic Excellence in Secondary Schools As Expressed By Counsellors
in Ilorin Metropolis’ as a case study.
Statement of the Problem
Education in any society is expected
to help members of that society to acquire the necessary knowledge, attitude
and skills for effective performance in the society. This implies that these
three areas of learning play complementary roles to each other and therefore
functionally related. The importance of guidance and counselling programme in
achieving academic excellence in secondary schools can not be over emphasized.
This fact has more been realized by scholars and experts not only in order
facets of life but as well as education or academics as a whole.
For example,
Jimoh (2002) examined the challenge as it exist among the teachers in the 21st
century and found that the Nigeria’s search for development in the 21st
century may be an allusion by the government to give due recognition to the
teacher who is the heart of Nigeria’s educational system and a catalyst in the
realisation of national educational aims and objectives.
Similarly, Alhasan (2006)
investigates the role of counselling in the character development of primary school
pupils. He concluded that to develop capacity to learn and achieve certain
basic skills, including analysis and inference which are essential to the
forming of sound judgment and to develop in pupils a positive attitude to
citizenship and a desire in them to make a positive personal contribution to
the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
From the above, it can be seen that previous researchers focused mainly on challenges on teachers of counselling in the 21st century and the role of counselling in the character development of primary school pupils. However none of this study was on counselling on predictor of academic excellence nor on Ilorin metropolis. This present research is being embarked upon to investigate the roles of counselling services as a predictor of academic excellence as expressed by students in Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State.
COUNSELLING SERVICES AS A PREDICTOR OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AS EXPRESSED BY COUNSELLORS IN ILORIN METROPOLIS
